Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address on Tentative Bipartisan Budget Deal with Legislative Leaders

Audio File of Radio Address

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address highlighting a tentative bipartisan budget agreement that has been reached with legislative leaders after months of negotiations that will provide nearly $1.4 billion in spendable revenue for K-12 schools with the largest increase to the special education reimbursement rate in state history, the largest increase to the University of Wisconsin (UW) System in nearly two decades, and over $330 million to support Wisconsin’s child care industry and lower child care costs for working families, among other key priorities from the governor’s proposed budget, including cutting out-of-pocket energy and utility bill costs for Wisconsinites across the state.

The governor, who began the year by declaring 2025 the Year of the Kid, has been clear from the beginning of this biennial budget process that his top priority in the 2025-27 Biennial Budget would be to pass a pro-kid budget that makes meaningful investments in Wisconsin’s kids at every stage and every age, from early childhood to K-12 to our higher education institutions. Gov. Evers announced that he successfully negotiated and secured a bipartisan budget agreement with Republican leaders that delivers on that important promise.

Under the deal reached by Gov. Evers, the 2025-27 state budget will:

• Invest over $330 million in Wisconsin’s child care industry, including $110 million in direct payments to child care providers to help providers keep their doors open and lights on, cut child care wait lists, and lower out-of-pocket child care costs for working families;
• Provide a nearly $1.4 billion increase in spendable revenue for K-12 schools across the state;
• Make the largest percent increase in special education reimbursement rate in state history, which will increase to 42 percent in the first year of the biennium and 45 percent in the second year of the biennium;
• Invest over $256 million in the UW System over the next two years, including over $100 million to support UW System campuses statewide to help stabilize the system after recent campus closures, layoffs, and program cuts and consolidations and ensure UW institutions remain economic and workforce hubs in communities across our state; and
• Support over $840 million to support capital building projects on UW campuses across the state.

Additionally, as negotiated, the budget will also eliminate the sales tax on household utility bills to help reduce energy costs for families. This will help lower out-of-pocket costs on energy and utility bills for Wisconsinites across the state, saving Wisconsin households over $178 million over the biennium.

Further, the agreement negotiated by Gov. Evers works to help support Wisconsin’s healthcare industry and ensure Wisconsinites have access to quality, affordable healthcare—especially in rural areas—with new efforts to bolster health systems across the state, among several other important provisions.

A comprehensive overview of the bipartisan budget agreement negotiated by Gov. Evers with legislative leaders is available here. The Wisconsin State Legislature is expected to complete its work on the 2025-27 Biennial Budget this week.

A transcript of the governor’s radio address is available below.

Hey, Wisconsin! Governor Evers here.

Guess what? After three months of negotiations with Republican leaders, we finally have a bipartisan budget deal.

And here’s the good news—this is a pro-kid budget that’s a win for Wisconsin kids, families, and our future.

So, here are five things you need to know about our bipartisan budget deal!

Number one: our budget will invest over $330 million for our child care industry.

A third of this investment will go directly to child care providers to help lower costs for working families.

Number two: we secured historic increases for our kids and our K-12 schools.

Our bipartisan budget deal will provide $1.4 billion in spendable revenue for schools, with the largest increase in special education aid in our state’s history.

With this half-a-billion-dollar investment, we’ll be able to bring special education reimbursement to the highest rate in 30 years.

Number three: threats to cut our UW System by nearly $90 million were a nonstarter for me, so I’m proud our bipartisan budget bill will make the largest increased investment in our UW System in nearly two decades.

And we’re investing over $840 million in campus building projects at UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, and more!

I also know household budgets are stretched too thin.

So, number four: our budget will lower out-of-pocket costs by eliminating the sales tax on household utility bills.

And number five: we’re doing what’s best for our kids by investing in the communities that raise them.

We’re also supporting healthcare access, including in our rural areas, we’re continuing our work to fix the darn roads, and we’re bolstering local communities and infrastructure.

Folks, with investments in our kids, families, and communities, this bipartisan budget deal is a win for Wisconsin.

Now, let’s get go this budget done.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.